Jaguars 31, Steelers 29

Now that I'm an official adult I'm trying not to get too emotionally charged up either way about sports. That's easier said than done, especially during a Steelers playoff game when I was following such superstitions as drinking about 4 cans of Coke, finding a new seat after every Jacksonville touchdown. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, I even resorted to sending a text message to my ex-girlfriend to get some good luck going (the year we were together was when the Steelers won the Super Bowl). Of course, the very next play after that message was sent was a Steelers touchdown, so the correspondence continued for the rest of the game. And it definitely worked, as the Steelers put up 3 straight touchdowns to unthinkably comeback from a 28-10 deficit to lead 29-28. But, symbolic of said relationship, what seemed like a good thing just ended up in heartbreak, as Jacksonville pulled out a last minute field goal for a 31-29 win.

Enough with superstition and onto football: This loss was incredibly disappointing and no fun for Steelers fans like myself, as anyone who saw the game can probably tell. But stronger than my feelings of sorrow are my feelings of pride for the Steelers. I am more proud of this team than any Steelers team in my lifetime, aside from the two that made the Super Bowl. Why? At the end of the third quarter this evening they were down 18 points, were missing their Pro Bowl running back and defensive end, as well as portions of the O-line. The Pro Bowl quarterback was banged up and struggling mightily, as was the Pro Bowl safety. This team was very banged up as a whole and could have easily folded and used the injuries as excuses, like say the Cincy Bengals in 2005. But they didn't. Big Ben threw 3 INT's in the first half, but slinged the ball around the field without fear. Hines Ward and Heath Miller were catching everything thrown their way. The defense which had been beaten up by the Jags offense for 7 quarters this season, made some big stops and forced some turnovers. And before you knew it, we had done the unthinkable and gone up 29-28. There were some 2 point conversions that we missed that ended up costing us. There were some questionable calls along the way. And in the end this team ran out the gas. They clearly were missing Willie Parker when they were unable to run out the clock with 3 minutes left. They clearly were a tired defense when David Garrard scrambled for a zillion yards to set up their game winning field goal. And when Big Ben fumbled on the last gasp effort, the season was over. But the fact that the Steelers were in position to win this football game in the end says volumes about the character of this team's players and coaching staff. A lot of fair weather Steelers fans who aren't intelligent will bash them this week, bash the defense, bash Ben, bash Tomlin, etc. But I couldn't be prouder of this team. I believe that the table is set with the Tomlin coaching staff for much more division championships and deeper playoff runs in the future.

Secondly, I'm almost relieved tonight. The fact that we lost a game like this to the Jaguars, a team I dislike but respect at the same time, is a heck of a lot better than if we lost a game like this to the Team X. As much as it would have been nice to get another chance to end their perfect streak, realistically we would have lost to them again, either getting crushed or losing a heartbreaker. As a fan, that would be demoralizing and intolerable. Getting beat by the Jaguars, it sucks, but I'll be cheering like hell for them if they play the Team X next week.

Thirdly, you gotta look at this season as a whole and how we've come along. We're just 2 years removed from a Super Bowl victory, but after last season there was a lot of turmoil with the team. We were 8-8, our 15 year head coach had just resigned, our QB of the future had just ended a horrible season and some were wondering if he would never be the same after his motorcycle accident. A year later, we hired a new coach who seems to have his head on straight, as he led us to a 10-6 record and a division championship, something that didn't even happen in the Super Bowl year. And the QB rebounded to set franchise records for TD passes and passer rating. All this in a year in which there were numerous injuries to many key players throughout the season. The only free agent we can think of is Alan Faneca, who will be a huge loss. But everyone else should be back (correct me if I'm forgetting someone) and hopefully healthier. Shoring up the O-line should be a priority in the draft, but other than that we have a solid foundation.

So life isn't so bad as a fan. The Steelers just got done with a playoff season, the Pens are on fire lately and could make some serious noise in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the PSU volleyball team just won the national championship (even the basketball teams aren't as bad as normal!) There's a lot to be thankful for, and now I can root hard for a Colts/Packers Super Bowl.